1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing RFID label for producing a RFID label capable of reading or writing through wireless communication from outside and to an editing apparatus for label used when various labels including the RFID label are to be produced.
2. Description of the Related Art
A prior art for improving convenience for operators when a printed matter (document) is to be completed by printing according to a format determined in advance as described in Patent Document 1, for example, is known.
With this prior art, various setting factors relating to print contents are prepared in advance as a single setting-factor group (template) so that a predetermined document can be completed easily only by additionally inputting text data (sentences and the like) to the template.
On the other hand, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) systems for reading/writing information contactlessly between a small-sized RFID tag and a reader (reading device)/writer (writing device) have been proposed recently. A RFID circuit element provided at a RFID tag is provided with an IC circuit part storing predetermined RFID tag information and an antenna connected to the IC circuit part for transmission/reception of information, and even if the RFID tag is stained or arranged at a hidden position, an access (information reading/writing) to the RFID tag information of the IC circuit part from the reader/writer is possible, and the systems are being put into practical use in various fields such as a name tag to be worn on the chest of a person, asset management, document control at an office or the like.
The RFID tag with the above various applications is usually formed by providing the above RFID circuit element on a label-state material, and this RFID label is affixed to an object article for classification/organization of various documents/articles, for example, in many cases. At this time, if the information relating to the RFID tag information is printed on the label separately from the RFID tag information stored inside, users can visually recognize the related information on the label, which is convenient.
Technologies for producing such a RFID label with print include one described in Patent Document 2, for example. In this prior-art apparatus for producing RFID label, a cartridge for including at least a RFID tag (cartridge) provided with a roll (supply spool) around which a tape (band-state tape) having RFID circuit elements (antenna parts and IC chips) arranged in a tape longitudinal direction with substantially an equal interval is wound is attached, the above tape is fed out of the above roll of this cartridge for transmission/reception of RFID tag information to the RFID circuit element provided at the tape, and predetermined print is applied at a predetermined position on the tape so as to produce a RFID label with print.
[Patent Document 1] JP, A, 9-231205
[Patent Document 2] JP, A, 2004-330492
Recently, with expansion of use of a RFID tag, diversified applications are in demand and there is an emerging need to produce labels with varied print modes in many ways. Here, if RFID circuit elements are arranged substantially with an equal interval on a tape as mentioned above, the maximum length of a label is limited by the arrangement interval (pitch). As mentioned above, with the prior art described in Patent Document 2, since the cartridge for including at least a RFID tag provided with a roll around which a tape with the RFIC circuit elements arranged is wound is detachable, if the number of printed characters is to be relatively large, for example, (in order to prevent such a situation that all the characters can not be contained in the label length) the cartridge for including at least a RFID tag provided with a tape with a larger arrangement pitch of the RFID circuit elements is attached for RFID label production. On the other hand, if the number of characters is not so large (in order to prevent production of wastefully long labels), the cartridge for including at least a RFID tag provided with a tape with a usual size of arrangement pitch of the RFID circuit elements is attached for RFID label production.
As mentioned above, in the prior art described in Patent Document 2, by replacing a plurality of cartridges for including at least a RFID tag for use according to the number of printed characters, the need for varied print modes by operators can be satisfied. However, when the cartridge for including at least a RFID tag which is replaced according the number of printed characters in this way is selected, if an operator selects a wrong cartridge for including at least a RFID tag unsuitable for the print mode, there is a fear that the print is interrupted in the middle or the print is divided by the RFID circuit element interval.
Also, other than the RFID circuit element, if the tape width is different according to type of the cartridge for including at least a RFID tag, for example, there is also a fear of the same problem due to a wrong selection. Moreover, when tag labels for near-field communication and far-field communication are to be produced separately with different set values of communication sensitivities of the IC circuit part and the antenna of the RFID circuit element and memory capacity of the IC circuit part, even if corresponding print is applied to produce a tag label with print, wrong selection of the corresponding cartridge for including at least a RFID tag causes mismatch between the print and the communication sensitivity or memory capacity of the IC circuit part, and there is a fear that satisfactory performance and quality for the operator can not be obtained.
Furthermore, not limited to tag attribute parameters such as the RFID circuit element arrangement interval, tape width, communication sensitivity, IC circuit part memory capacity and the like but also with regard to communication parameters such as a frequency of an electric wave and communication protocol used for the wireless communication, wrong selection of the corresponding cartridge for including at least a RFID tag also causes mismatch between the print and the communication parameters, which should have been matched, and there is a fear that satisfactory performance and quality for the operator can not be obtained.
On the other hand, in the case of predetermined print on the tag tape as mentioned above, it is necessary for an operator to operate and input the print contents on the print format. Then, at the print data input in the RFID label production, the method of the prior art described in Patent Document 1 is applied and various setting factors relating to the print contents are prepared in advance as a single setting-factor group (template) and by additionally inputting text data (words, sentences and the like) to the template, the print contents on the tag tape can be determined.
Here, needs for the RFID label in diversified modes have been increased in the recent years, but if the width or the length of the RFID label to be produced is to be changed, for example, it is necessary to replace the tag tape together with the entire cartridge for including at least a RFID tag every time.
When the prior art described in Patent Document 1 is applied to the apparatus for producing RFID label as mentioned above, even though a single type of RFID label with print can be produced by using the template so as to realize the optimal print mode, when the cartridge for including at least a RFID tag is replaced in order to produce various RFID labels with print as mentioned above, the template can not fully cope with the situation. That is, in order to realize the optimal print, complicated setting and operation are required at every replacement of the cartridge for including at least a RFID tag, and convenience for operators is low.
The problem is not limited to the case where various cartridges for including at least a RFID tag are replaced as above. That is, in production of a normal print label not provided with the RFID circuit element, even if various label tapes can be replaced and attached by the cartridge (normal cartridge) in order to change the width, length and the like, and moreover, even if the cartridge for including at least a RFID tag and the normal cartridge are switched and attached so that the RFID label and the normal print label can be produced, there is a nonconformity similar to the above, and convenience for operators is low.
As mentioned above, in the prior art described in patent Documents 1 and 2, when various labels are to be produced by replacing the tape or cartridge, there can be mismatch in combination of the replaced tape or cartridge with the print or complicated setting and operation are required in order to prevent the mismatch, and convenience for operators is low.